foundation of communication

There are many great ways for parents to build a dynamic foundation of communication. Learning how to listen and talk is a great way to build relationships and community among your children, friends, spouse, teacher, various family members and more! Following are 8 Great Tips for building a strong foundation for communication!

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION​Communication is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through various different forums and channels. Whether one is speaking informally to a child, addressing teachers in a conference or communicating with other parents, the following basic principles apply:

Understand your audience. You will want to speak differently to your child verses a peer. However, please do not 'dumb down' your interaction with children. They are highly intelligent people!!!!

Anticipate objections. Brainstorm what push back, questions, or confusion your audience member might have. You will be better prepared to answer questions as a result.

Try to provide a well rounded picture. Make sure you use words, facts, pictures, etc. based upon who you are talking to and what the subject matter is. For example, your daughter might do best with coloring pictures to explain the situation. Yet, you son may like to build a tower while walking through an issue.

Ensure that you are using appropriate timing. Sometimes kiddos are tired at night. Perhaps set aside some time in the morning to chat with your child.

Achieve credibility with your audience. Having emotional stock with your kids is one the greatest ways to achieve success with your kiddos. Talk with your children frequently. Check in often. The more dialogue you have with them on a daily basis, the more you will be able to communicate challenging messages with them.

Follow through on what you say. Children are so smart and know exactly when you are able to follow thru with a commitment and when you are just saying something in the moment. Be mindful of your words and statements. Only make declarations that you are 100% able to follow thru on. This one may be tough!

Communicate a little at a time. Less is often more. If you are discussing a heavy subject, it might be best to break the process down into smaller parts and segments. This will give boy you and your children the opportunity to fully digest each section for optimal overall understanding!

Present information in several ways. People learn in many different ways. Your child may be a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner. He/She may have an Analytical, Intuitive, Functional or Personal Communication Style. Get to know your child and try to weave different ways of communicating into the conversation.

Develop a practical, useful way to get feedback. Communication is a 2-way street. Sometimes it is very easy to get feedback from the recipient during the conversation. However, sometimes feedback may come best at another time. Figure out the best way to get true and genuine feedback from your kiddo. This might involve having him/her write their feelings down, send you an email, draw you a picture. Communication can come in many forms!

Use multiple communication techniques. The sky is the limit when communicating, and this is most certainly true with kiddos. Your child may love sports, animals, music, drawing, singing, mindcrafting, building, writing, fishing, acting and more. Play on those passions and communicate via those methods. If you have to have a tough subject with your son that loves playing baseball, then go outside for a catch while you chat. If your littlest loves drawing and crafting, then try to discuss a topic while coloring or pasting! Kids are much more likely to warm up if they are engaged in something that the love. Adults are too!!!